Steve Austin Comments On His Retirement And Character

“My exit strategy from pro wrestling wasn’t carved in stone,” he admitted. “I retired because of a few neck issues, some neurological issues … and finally after about three years of hunting and fishing, I said to myself, ‘Steve you need to get off you a** and get to L.A.’ When you wrestle for 15 years, you don’t want to go back to driving that forklift. Based on the name value I had, I went to L.A. and got involved in independent movies.”

On his podcast:

“It allows me to stay in touch on a very personal level with the fan base I created,” he said, adding that he doesn’t plan to incorporate politics or current issues into the mix, they just creep in “organically” because he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. “Am I surprised by the acceptance of the podcast? I started this thing off as a hobby and way to voice my opinion, because after I retired, I didn’t have a voice or an outlet. Sometimes the show is about nothing, sometimes it’s about the simple facts of life, sometimes it’s me interviewing other wrestlers and people from outside the wrestling industry.”

On his character:

“I thought, ‘If you are making the guys in the truck laugh, you can make anybody laugh. These guys have seen everything. So, I told him on the spot, “You got guys 6-foot-6, 300 pounds. I’m 6-foot-2, 250, I got black trunks, black boots, a bald head and goatee. If you take my personality away from me, I can’t compete. If you let me use my personality, I can compete with anyone!”